Network function virtualization (NFV) refers to a function of carrying a dedicated device in a conventional network using a general hardware device and a virtualization technology in order to reduce high costs for deploying the dedicated device. Software is not bound to dedicated hardware such that a network device function no longer depends on the dedicated hardware. In addition, a resource may be fully and flexibly shared using a feature of cloud computing in order to implement rapid development and deployment of a new service, and perform automatic deployment, scaling, fault isolation, self-healing, and the like based on an actual service requirement. In an NFV architecture, a party that receives an instantiation request and performs instantiation processing (service deployment) on a corresponding service according to the request is referred to as a virtualized service provider (service provider), and a party that initiates the instantiation request is referred to as a service requester.
In the NFV, a virtualized network service (NS), for example, may be an Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) NS, or an evolved packet core (EPC) NS. One NS may include several virtualized network function (VNF) modules, which are also referred to as virtualized network elements. A VNF may be implemented by network function software deployed in an NFV infrastructure. When virtualized deployment is performed on an NS, a service requester needs to first submit a descriptor of the NS (NSD) to a service provider. The descriptor mainly describes a topology structure of the NS and a descriptor of each included VNF (VNFD). The VNFD describes composition of each VNF, for example, running software and information about a required virtual resource. The virtual resource includes a central processing unit (CPU) resource, a storage resource, and the like.
Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a schematic architectural diagram of an NFV system 100.
A network function virtualization orchestrator (NFVO) 102 is mainly responsible for processing life cycle management of a virtualized service, allocating and scheduling virtual resources in a virtualized infrastructure and a network functions virtualization infrastructure (NFVI), and the like. The NFVO 102 may communicate with one or more VNF managers (VNFMs) 104 to execute a resource-related request, send configuration information to the VNFM 104, and collect status information of a VNF 108. In addition, the NFVO 102 may also communicate with a virtualized infrastructure manager (VIM) 106 to execute resource allocation and/or reservation, and exchange virtualized hardware resource configuration and status information.
The VNFM 104 is responsible for life cycle management of one or more VNFs 108, for example, instantiating, updating, querying, scaling, or terminating the VNF 108. The VNFM 104 may communicate with the VNF 108 to complete VNF life cycle management and exchange of configuration and status information. In an NFV architecture, there may be multiple VNFMs responsible for performing life cycle management on different types of VNFs.
The VIM 106 controls and manages interaction between the VNF 108 and computing hardware 112, storage hardware 114, network hardware 116, virtual computing 118, virtual storage 120, and a virtual network 122. For example, the VIM 106 executes a resource management function, including infrastructure resource management, allocation (for example, adding a resource to a virtual container), and a running function (for example, collecting fault information of the NFVI). The VNFM 104 and the VIM 106 may mutually communicate to request resource allocation, and exchange virtualized hardware resource configuration and status information.
The NFVI, that is, an NFV infrastructure layer, includes a hardware component, a software component, or a combination of a hardware component and a software component in order to establish a virtualized environment, and deploy, manage, and implement the VNF 108. A hardware resource and a virtualization layer are used to provide virtualized resources for the VNF 108, for example, a virtual machine and a virtual container in another form. The hardware resource includes the computing hardware 112, the storage hardware 114, and the network hardware 116. In an implementation manner, resources of the computing hardware 112 and the storage hardware 114 may be integrated. The virtualization layer in the NFVI may abstract the hardware resource, and decouple the VNF 108 and a lower physical network layer.
Multiple VNFs 108 are configured as virtualization of at least one network function. Each VNF runs in a virtual container, and corresponds to a group of network functions that belong to one or more physical devices.
An equipment management system (EM) 110 is a system used for device configuration and management in a conventional telecommunications system. In the NFV architecture, the EM 110 may also be used to configure and manage the VNF 108, and initiate a life cycle management operation such as instantiation of a new VNF to the VNFM 104.
An operations support system (OSS) and a business support system (BSS) 124 support various end-to-end telecommunications services. A management function supported by the OSS includes network configuration, service providing, fault management, and the like. The BSS processes an order, payment, revenues, and the like, and supports product management, order management, revenue management, and customer management.
In an existing NFV architecture, because an NFVO needs to globally control resources, after receiving a life cycle management operation request that is for a VNF instance and that is sent by an EM, a VNFM needs to first apply to the NFVO for authorization permission in response to the life cycle management operation request for the VNF instance. Only after the NFVO agrees upon the operation request, the VNFM may apply to a VIM for a resource required for the operation request.
However, one NFVO needs to simultaneously manage multiple VNFMs, and each VNFM may manage multiple VNFs. As a result, there is an extremely large quantity of operations related to life cycle management. Therefore, the NFVO has relatively heavy load.